Can anyone give me a list of some steep downgrades and where they are?

Monarch Pass on the 50 in Colorado

 

There is a little town in Pa off of I-80. I have been there years ago and don't remember it's name but it has something like a 14% grade going into it. Be careful!

 

It doesn't matter if you know every downgrade out there. You should have enough training by now to go down safely on any downgrade in the country. I believe the most important step you have to do before going down any grade is to check your brakes. Do a fast pre-trip really looking at those brakes. Then when you start down the grade turn off the engine brake and creep down the grade using the best braking system you know. Turn off the radio except the CB. Keep the CB turn down low but enough to hear it. Lower both windows just about 1 inch.

The way I would go down is start at 25mph and let the truck drift up to 35mph. Apply brakes slowly bringing the truck back down to 25mph. Then let her drift again. The reason you have your windows open is to be on the alert for brake smoke. You'll be able to smell them before you see any smoke. It's like a burning clutch. I've had to go down grades without an engine brake (and loaded up to 110,000lbs) so it's good to try it a couple of times without it so you'll have the knowledge to go down and what to do if the engine brakes fails. I've hauled heavy loads all over the U.S. and one was a special bulldozer that we used to clear old ranges of unexploded ordnance. During normal operation sure use your engine brake and go down slow enough you barely have to touch the brakes. You'll just want to be trained so you don't go off the road or worse. Don't let anyone push you down a grade. Plan on something happening that requires you to use max brakes and being able to stop so you don't run over someone. Like when you go around a corner and there's a rock slide on the road. Or worse yet a family vehicle in your lane stopped dead.


At night you loose the ability to see smoke as well as the day. Check for smoke when the brake lights come on. Do not believe the old saying go down the same as you came up. Nowadays the grades are different and the newer trucks have more power. The grade on the other side may not be as steep as the go down side like Cajon in CA. Going over grades when I was loaded all up I tried to stay at 35mph with an engine brake and 25mph without one. Then after you've been out there use a laptop to record information about that grade. It'll come to you and after awhile you will be relaxed coming up to any grades. However, you'll never want to think you've got the mountain trained because every time you go down you need to be very alert.

 

That's the best advice I got when I started. I always felt like I was holding up traffic when I started out. Now I just drive my load & not worry about theirs.

You sir have peaked my interest. How would you do this? I have only seen things that cost a couple thousand that hard wire into the truck.

 

I only meant use a laptop to keep all your notes of what you're doing. However, that would be very cool to have a laptop hooked up to record all data that being used. Sorry for the mix up, I should have been more clearer.

 

Rt 10 headed south out of Canajoharie, NY on I-90. Basically you start from a dead stop and IIRC it's straight up.